1. Field Of The Invention
The present invention relates to a grommet for preventing water or the like from entering through the hole of a panel, through which an electric cord is inserted.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4 show a conventional grommet comprising a soft portion 60 made of a rubber or the like and having an electric cord inserting part 63' and a hard portion 50 made of a hard synthetic resin or the like and fitted in the hole of a panel as disclosed in the Japanese Utility Model Application (OPI) No. 155783/84 (the term "OPI" as used herein means an "unexamined published application"). The hard portion 50 includes a body 52 having a cord inserting hole 51 and a peripheral wall 53 provided on the peripheral part of the body and having a cross section of relatively small curvature, and an annular base plate 54 secured to the bottom of the peripheral wall. The hard portion 50 consists of two split parts 50a and 50b. The soft portion 60 includes a body 61 having a recess 62, in which the annular base plate 54 of the hard portion 50 is fitted the electric cord inserting part 63 cylindrically shaped and having an electric cord clamping section (not shown in the drawings) on the inside circumferential surface of the cord laying part, and a waterproofing part 64 including inner and outer circumferential lips provided at the peripheral edge of the top of the body 61. Engaging tongues 55 are provided in a flexible manner on the peripheral wall 53 of the hard portion 50. In order to fasten the grommet to the panel, the soft portion 60 is first expanded by an expander A. and an electric cord B. comprising electric wires C and a connector D is then inserted through the soft portion as shown in FIG. 2. Thereafter the expander A is removed, and both the split parts 50a and 50b of the hard portion 50 are combined with each other so that the electric wires C are located between the split parts as shown in FIG. 3. The hard portion 50 is then fitted in the recess 62 of the soft portion 60, as shown in FIG. 4. Subsequently, the body 52 of the hard portion 50 is pushed into the hole of the panel so that the peripheral wall 53 of the body is fitted in the hole, the engaging tongues 55 are engaged on the circumferential edge of the panel around the hole, and the waterproofing part 64 is tightly fitted on the panel around the hole.
Since the hard portion 50 of the conventional grommet cannot be expanded by the expander A to permit insertion of the electric cord B through the hard portion the split parts 50a and 50b of the hard portion need to be combined with each other and fitted in the soft portion 60 after the soft portion is expanded by the expander and the electric cord is inserted through the soft portion. For that reason, the conventional grommet has a problem that the efficiency of inserting the electric cord through the grommet is low.